Knock-down shower unit enclosure



9 r J.IR. ANGHINETTI ETAL T 3, 20

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER 'UNIT ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet of 6 INVENTORS'. JOSEPH mama/w ANGH/NETT/ DAV/D ABBOTT BURDEN ALBERT EUGENEPELLET/ER ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. R. ANGHINETTI ETAL KNOCK-DOWN SHOWERUNIT ENCLOSURE.

Filed Oct. 10. 19 67 Sheet .2

ALBERT EUGENE PELLET/ER A TTORNE Y Jan. 7,-1 969 J. R. ANGHINEYTTI ETAL3,420,021

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 10, 1967 Sheet 3 of emlllllllf 1/2 GYPSUM WALLBOARO WALLBOARD TAPE CAP MOLD/N6 GROU 7' W6COMPOUND PEEL GREEN LINER OFF ADHESIVE TAPE INVENTORS. F 7 JOSEPHRICHARD ANGHl/VETT/ 041 10 ABBOTT BURDEN ALBERT EUGENE PELLETIERATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. R. ANGHINETTI ETAL 3,420,021

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Sheet Fild Oct. 10, 1967 IN VE'N T 0R5JOSEPH RICHARD A/VGH/NETT/ 04 W0 ABBOTT BURDEN ALBERT EUGENE PELLET/ERATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. R. ANGHINETTI ETAL 3, ,021

KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNIT ENCLOSURE Filed Oct. 10. 1967 Sheet s areINVENTORS. JOSEPH RICHARD A/VG'Hl/VETT/ DA V/D ABBOTT BURDEN 1 ALBERTEUGENE PELLET/ER A rrORNEY United States Patent KNOCK-DOWN SHOWER UNITENCLOSURE Joseph Richard Anghinetti and David Abbott Burden,

Kennebunkport, and Albert Eugene Pelletier, Springvale, Maine, assignorsto Formica Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of DelawareFiled Oct. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 674,164

US. Cl. 52-264 Claims Int. Cl. E04b 2/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aknock-down shower unit enclosure suitable for assembling into a unitcomprising a floor unit with central drain, raised walls and a verticalflange along the sides and back portions which fit with a back panel andright and left side panels. The panels are of sandwich form withthermoset resin laminate surfaces and a central core of light, waterresistant material, such as polystyrene foam, and are provided with ametal grooved portion in the bottom fitting on the flange of the floorelement and metal side moldings on the vertical edges, the moldingcomprising a channel of panel thickness extending out from the twovertical edges and a smaller channel next to it on the inside andforming an integral portion of the molding. Side panels of the samematerial with the same channel in the polystyrene foam at their bottomare applied on the flanges of the floor element and slid back into thechannel in the moldings on the corresponding side of the back panel. Theside panels are provided with a metal molding having an extending flangeon the front vertical edge and capable of being nailed into a buildingstud. Corner moldings of extruded metal such as aluminum, preferablyclad with decorative laminate, are provided with a toothed leg extendingtheir full length which can be forced into the small channel on eachside molding of the back panel. This locks the metal molding, whichappears as a quarter round. Cap moldings are provided on the top of eachpanel and are nailable to studs and capable of receiving wallboard orother material so that the panels appear flush into the Wall of thefinal built shower. All elements, including the shower floor and thepanels, are relatively flat and shippable in compact units. Assembly ofthe panels can be effected by first installing the back panel and thensliding the side panels into the channels of its two side moldingswithout the use of any fastening or special equipment. If desired, thefront wall may be provided with a suitable hanger for receivingslideable plastic or glass enclosures or curtains.

Background of the'inventz'on In the past shower stalls or enclosureswere either built on the spot, for example with ceramic tile,prefabricated knock-down types, and one-piece Fiberglas reinforcedplastic. The first type sufiered from the disadvantage of high cost andthe last from great difficulty in shipping, because a complete stall isa very large object in comparison to its weight. Not only did this addgreatly to the shipping cost, but sometimes it could not be movedthrough doorways or narrow passageways. Also, the polyester surface ofthe unit is susceptible to staining, fiber blooming, and scratching.

While the knock-down prefabricated types were easy to ship, they werecomplicated to install, consisted of many parts, and required cutting ofparts on the job, all of which increased the cost.

Summary of the invention The present invention is a shower unit made upof "Ice knock-down parts which fit together without cutting and do notrequire highly skilled workmen for installation. The final result,however, is a beautiful shower enclosure which is leakproof and durable.In the present specification the term enclosure will be used in a broadsense to include both shower stalls, which is the principal field ofutility of the present invention, and also enclosures including a tub.The modifications for the latter enclosure will be mentioned furtherbelow. It should be noted that when a shower enclosure includes a tub,essentially the tub is a floor element which is concave with watertightsides. The only real difference is that the tub is much deeper than isthe concave fioor element of a stall and, of course, normally has itsdrain at one end instead of in the center. Therefore, in the presentspecification the term concave floor element or concave shower base willbe used in a broader sense to include a tub and will not be limited to ashower stall floor, which constitutes a much shallower container orpan-shaped element. In a more restricted aspect of the invention,however, the preferred embodiment is a shower stall rather than anenclosure around a tub.

Essentially the present invention requires a concave floor element whichhas a flange extending upwardly from its raised sides on three edgeswith a flat, relatively wide edge on the fourth side. In the case of ashower stall floor, this fourth side constitutes a raised threshold,whereas in the case of a tub it is one of the walls of the tub.Cooperating with the concave floor element there are three panels, aback panel and two side panels, the latter being mirror images of eachother. The panels are in sandwich form with thermoset resin laminates oneither side of a central core of light material unaffected by moisture,such as polystyrene foam. The decorative laminates are usually offibrous sheet material impregnated with phenolic resin core sheets andmelamine resin surface sheets which are then thermoset in a heat andpressure consolidation step and are commercially available from aplurality of sources. The sandwich is formed by use of a suitablecontact adhesives and pressed in conventional presses. The bottom ofeach panel carries a channel, usually of metal, completely recessed inthe panel and fitting on the flange of the corresponding side of thefloor element.

The back panel is provided on each vertical edge with a metal molding,usually of aluminum, which is L-shaped, preferably presenting a widerchannel on the outside and a narrower channel on the inside. The widerchannel is dimensioned so that the inner edge of a side panel fits insnugly. The narrow inner channel in a preferred form accepts a cornermolding with a serrated leg. In its broader aspects the invention is notlimited to corner moldings attached in this manner, but the advantagesin rapidity of assembly, watertightness and appearance make thispreferred form desirable; and as its cost is quite low, ordinarily thepreferred construction is used. The other vertical edge of each sidepanel, that is to say the edge that is at its forward end, is alsoprovided with a molding which can be recessed into the panel and whichcarries a protruding thin flange which can be nailed to studding whenthe enclosure has been assembled. Suitable cap moldings can be providedwhere the enclosure is to be recessed into walls, for example drywall.This, however, is not an essential feature of the invention.

The panels can have highly decorative colors or designs on their innersurfaces and, of course, a less perfectly finished laminate on theirouter surfaces which are against the wall studding. In the preferredmodification the extruded metal corner moldings may be clad with a verythin coating of laminate so that the molding blends into the panelsthemselves. However, the invention also includes moldings which are notso clad, and with some metals the resulting contrast is even sometimesdesired.

Installation of the shower enclosure can be done without requiringhighly skilled craftsmen and is rapid and simple. It will be describedgenerally with a more detailed description of an illustrative enclosureset out in more detail below. Essentially, the floor element is firstmounted in the conventional manner, of course the drain being suitablylined up with the bathroom plumbing. The back panel is then lowereduntil its recessed channel fits over the raised flange of the concavefloor element. After the back panel is fitted into place, the two sidepanels are fitted into place and then the metal or laminate clad cornermoldings are applied. An extruded metal or laminate clad metal cornermolding is then applied and its serrated leg then forced into the narrowinner channel of the two side edge moldings of the back panel. This iseffected by hammering with a suitable soft pad to prevent marring of thefinish of the molding, and when completed the molding is snapped into atight fit at each corner. It is possible to use other kinds of moldingsand so in its broader aspects the invention is not limited to thepreferred form described below. However, the preferred type of moldingis cheap and can be made very decorative and so ordinarily the preferredform will be used.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of afinished enclosure recessed into drywall;

FIGURE 2 isa similar isometric view without wallboard and showing panelsattached to studding on only one side;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric of studding with a concave floor element and arear panel being lowered onto it;

FIGURE 4 is a detail on an enlarged scale of the recessed channel on thebottom of a panel fitted on the floor element flange;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of the side moldingof the rear panel;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detail, partly broken away, of a corner moldingand cap molding attachment;

FIGURE 7 is a detail, partly in section, of wallboard mounted on the capmolding;

FIGURE 8 is a detail, partly broken away, of the fastening of the cornermolding;

FIGURE 9 is a detail of the moldings of a side panel and back panelextending over the floor element;

FIGURE 10 is a detail of a left hand side panel molding; and

FIGURE 11 is an isometric view, partly broken away, of a walled-inenclosure with a sliding curtain and an enlarged enclosure shape.

Description of the preferred embodiments FIGURE 1 shows a finishedshower enclosure recessed into a bathroom wall. The floor element isshown at 1, back panel at 2, left hand side panel at 3, and thewallboard in place at 4.

FIGURE 2 shows the same enclosure before applying wallboard. It showsthe right hand side panel at 5, part of the studding at 6, a frontmolding 7 on the left hand side panel nailed to the studding, and capmoldings 8 on the top of the three panels. The cap molding is shown inFIGURE 6 nailed to the studs 6 and illustrates the use of shims 9, whichare applied to straighten the panels if the studding is not quite plumb.

Each of the panels is in the form of a sandwich with an inner decorativephenolic-melamine laminate 11 provided with a suitable colored finishand/ or design, a rear phenolic laminate 10, both laminated to apolystyrene foam core 12. In the bottom of the panel there is cemented ametal channel 13, for example of aluminum, which fits on the flange 14on three sides of the floor element. The front side of the floor elementis flat in the form of a threshold 15. The flange 14 is also readilyseen in FIG- URE 3, and the chall li .13 is also evident but the scale 4is so much smaller than FIGURE 4 that the latter shows the channel moreclearly.

After the rear panel is mounted on the flange 14, as shown in FIGURE 3,the side panels are slid in by tilting the panel, starting the channel13 along the front of the flange 14 on the sides'of the shower base orfloor element and then sliding the panel along the flange until its fitsin the channel 17, which is shown in FIGURE 5. It should be noted thatin order to show the channel 13 on the bottom of the rear panel 2, theside moldings 16 are not shown in FIGURE 3, but they are of coursepresent, and at the bottom they have extensions 19 which fit over theoutside of the shower base, as can be seen in FIG- URE 9.

After the cap moldings have been fitted along the tops of the panels andnailed to studding the corner moldings 24 are then applied, starting atthe bottom and working up, as can be seen in FIGURE 2. The cornermolding, which is a metal extrusion and which may be clad with suitablelaminates to match the panels, is provided with a toothed leg 25, whichcan be seen in FIGURE 8. Starting at the bottom, the molding is placedand serrated leg hammered in until the molding fits tight. FIGURE 2shows the start of the operation with the molding in place nearly to thetop, and FIGURE 6 shows the top part with details of the procedure,including the padded block 26 which is used to prevent marring of themolding as the leg 25 is hammered in. Inthe preferred installationprocedure, the corner moldings 24 are applied immediately after the capmoldings have been fitted to the tops of the panels and nailed. The wallboard is applied after the corner moldings are applied. As shown in FIG-URE 6, the cap moldings are ready to receive the wallboard of thebathroom wall. The front flange of the cap molding 20 is provided withadhesive, FIGURE 7, and this is protected by a liner 21. After thewallboard 4 is mounted, the liner 21 is peeled off and conventionalwallboard tape 22 is applied. The surface of the wallboard is thenprepared with suitable grouting compound in the conventional manner toproduce a smooth surface for painting. FIGURE 7 shows the operation,including the grouting compound 23.

FIGURE 11 illustrates the finished enclosure with a sliding panel ofrigid cast acrylic panels, which has been referred to above. This figurealso illustrates a rectangular shower base or floor element instead of asquare one. A metal member 27 extends across from one front molding toanother and is provided with three tracks 28. Three cast acrylic panels29 with lips 30 are hung on hangers with nylon rollers which run alongthe tracks 28. As the paneled front wall or curtain forms no part of thepresent invention, the hangers are not shown since they are of standardconstruction for sliding closet doors. The cast panels are provided withlips 30 which inter-engage so that movement of the either end panel bythe molded-in handle 31 will operate the three panels. Water-tightnessis assured by an extruded metal dam 32 which mounts on the frontthreshold of the shower base. The present invention is, of course, notlimited to any particular method of closing off the front of the showerenclosure and any known form, such as glass panels, fabric curtains, andthe like, may be used.

We claim:

1. A shower enclosune comprising:

(a) a rectangular, concave shower base having a projecting flange alongthree of its four sides, the flange being set back from the innersurfaces of the shower base sides,

(b) three panels constituting back and two side panels, each panelhaving a decorative inner surface of a thermoset resin laminate, thebottom edge of each panel having a recessed channel of dimensionsfitting the flanges on the three sides of the shower base,

(c) the rear panel being provided at each vertical edge with a moldinghaving forwardly directed channel of a width corresponding to thethickness of the side panels and capable of receiving the rear verticaledges of the side panels,

((1) cap molding elements fitting the upper horizontal edges of thepanels and shaped to permit concealed attachment to studding, and

(e) vertical moldings on the front edges of the side panels shaped topermit concealed attachment to studding, whereby the shower enclosure isshippable in knocked down form in a number of essentially flat packagesof pre-cut lengths and can be assembled witho ut dimensional cutting ofthe elements by placing the shower base on the floor of the room inwhich the enclosure is to be built, lowering the rear panel until itsbottom channel fits over the rear flange of the shower base, sliding theside panels onto the side flanges of the shower base and into thechannels of the respective side moldings of the rear panel, applying thecap moldings and fastening the cap moldings and front moldings of theside panels to the room studdin g.

2. A shower enclosure according to claim 1 in which the panels aresandwiches of a thermosetting laminate with a decorative finish on theirinner faces, a sec- 0nd thermosetting resin laminate on their rearfaces, and a central cone of foam plastic, the three elements beingbonded together under pressure to form a unitary sandwich structure.

3. A shower enclosure according to claim 2 in which the side moldings onthe rear panel are provided with a second narrower channel and extrusioncorner molding with a serrated leg mating with the second channelcapable of being forced therein and locking, whereby the molding istightly seated against rear and side panels at each corner.

4. A shower enclosure according to claim 3 in which the corner moldingsare clad with thermosetting resin laminate to harmonize with the innersurface of the side and rear panels.

5. A shower enclosure according to claim 1 in which the side moldings onthe rear panel are provided with a second narrower channel and extrusioncorner molding board and an inner flange coated with adhesive positionedto receive wallboard tape for feathering the wallboard prior todecoration.

8. A shower enclosune according to claim 2 for inset mounting in adrywall in which the cap moldings are provided with a shelf of widthcorresponding to the dry wall board and an inner flange coated withadhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering thewallboard prior to decoration.

9. A shower enclosure according to claim 4 for inset mounting in adrywall in which the cap moldings are provided with a shelf of widthcorresponding to the dry wall board and an inner flange coated withadhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering thewallboard prior to decoration.

10. A shower enclosure according to claim 6 for inset mounting in adrywall in which the cap moldings are provided with a shelf of widecorresponding to the dry wall board and an inner flange coated withadhesive positioned to receive wallboard tape for feathering thewallboard prior to decoration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,343,201 2/1944 Nilson 52264JOHN E. MURTAGH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

